Eurostar Unveils New Direct Routes Connecting London to Frankfurt and Geneva
According to a recent declaration from Eurostar, the company is gearing up to launch direct train services connecting London with Frankfurt, Genève, and amsterdam to Brussels by the early 2030s.
“With our new fleet, we’re making it possible for travelers to enjoy direct routes between london and Germany as well as Switzerland for the first time,” stated Eurostar’s CEO Gwendoline Cazenave during their presentation of the 2024 results on June 10. “We are entering a new era of lasting international travel.”
The company aims to boost its annual ridership target to an remarkable 30 million passengers by investing €2 billion in acquiring up to fifty new trainsets. This expansion will not only enhance capacity but also facilitate new route development.
This investment will allow Eurostar to phase out older trains acquired through its merger with Thalys and retire some original Class 373 cross-Channel sets. The updated fleet will consist of seventeen Siemens Mobility Velaro e320 sets along with the newly introduced trains, potentially increasing overall capacity by about thirty percent.
| Current Eurostar Fleet Overview | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Total Sets | Total Seats | Main Routes | ||||||
| e320 | 17 | 894 | Mainly Cross-Channel Routes | ||||||
| e300 | 8 | 750 | Mainly Cross-Channel Routes | ||||||
| PBA (PBKA) | 17
td > 371–399 td > Continental Connections
PBA
9
routes” class=“new-routes” style=“font-size:20px;”>New route Developments p> The German route is currently under discussion with Deutsche Bahn (DB), which has expressed interest in establishing a direct link between Germany and London. A DB representative mentioned that they are actively engaging with various European operators and infrastructure managers regarding this initiative.They believe there’s significant potential for such a connection. p> A spokesperson from DB noted that while there are currently six daily connections requiring transfers between Eurostar and ICE services in brussels, creating a direct line poses several technical challenges that need addressing before it can be realized. p> This announcement comes at a time when other companies are eyeing opportunities on cross-channel routes into London. Just last month, both British and Swiss governments revealed plans to explore ways of launching seamless services between their countries. p> A study commissioned by the UK’s Office of Rail & Road indicated that without substantial investment,only one additional Channel Tunnel operator could realistically operate from Temple Mills depot in London—the sole facility capable of accommodating trains designed for continental loading gauges. p>
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